Ludwik Starski (born Ludwik Kałuszyner, 1 March 1903 in

Łódź Łódź, also rendered in English as Lodz, is a city in central Poland and a former industrial centre. It is the capital of Łódź Voivodeship, and is located approximately south-west of Warsaw. The city's coat of arms is an example of canti ...

– died 29 February 1984 in

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...

) was a Polish Jewish

lyricist A lyricist is a songwriter who writes lyrics (the spoken words), as opposed to a composer, who writes the song's music which may include but not limited to the melody, harmony, arrangement and accompaniment. Royalties A lyricist's income ...

, sound engineer and

screenwriter A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. ...

of the twentieth century. He was the father of the set designer

Allan Starski Allan Mieczysław Starski (born 1 January 1943 in Warsaw) is a Polish Oscar-winning production designer and set decorator. Life and career Allan Starski is the son of Ludwik Starski (originally Ludwik Kałuszyner) famous screenwriter and songwri ...

, who often worked with movie director

Andrzej Wajda Andrzej Witold Wajda (; 6 March 1926 – 9 October 2016) was a Polish film and theatre director. Recipient of an Honorary Oscar, the Palme d'Or, as well as Honorary Golden Lion and Honorary Golden Bear Awards, he was a prominent member of the ...

and received the Academy Award for "Best Set Design" for Schindler's List in 1994. Ludwik worked with

Eugeniusz Bodo Eugeniusz Bodo (born Bohdan Eugène Junod; 28 December 1899 7 October 1943) was a film director, producer, and one of the most popular Polish actors and comedians of the interwar period. He starred in some of the most popular Polish film produc ...

Władysław Szpilman Władysław Szpilman (; 5 December 1911 – 6 July 2000) was a Polish pianist and classical composer of Jewish descent. Szpilman is widely known as the central figure in the 2002 Roman Polanski film '' The Pianist'', which was based on Szpilman ...

and with Tadeusz Sygietyński. Before the Second World War he was a journalist with the newspaper ''Express Wieczorny Ilustrowany (The Evening Express)''. He was also a lyricist of songs for cabarets, cafés and theater, including theater ''Qui Pro Quo, Gong, Morskie Oko, Perskie Oko, '' in Warsaw. Some of his songs were performed by singer

Irena Santor Irena Wiśniewska-Santor (Polish pronunciation: ; born 9 December 1934), known professionally as Irena Santor, is a Polish singer, musical performer and actress. Her career started in 1950. She's noted for singing in clear mezzo-soprano, consid ...

to the music of composer

. Starski worked with singer actor

(whom he met at ''Qui Pro Quo'') and wrote lyrics to some of his hit songs including ''Sex Appeal''. Between 1934 and 1978, he wrote a score of films for which he was also an engineer.http://www.filmpolski.pl/fp/index.php/115656 Film Polski He married Maria Bargielska (1911–1986); they had one son,

, who became an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

winning production designer and set decorator. Ludwik Starski was the brother of journalist and writer Adam Ochocki.

Selected filmography

*'' Robert and Bertram'' (1938)

References

Jewish cabaret performers Polish cabaret performers 20th-century Polish Jews Jewish songwriters 1984 deaths 1903 births 20th-century comedians 20th-century Polish screenwriters Male screenwriters 20th-century Polish male writers {{Poland-writer-stub